Costco v. Sam's?

Costco all the way.

Speaking of Gordon Food Service, they have announced construction of their third Louisville area store in Clarksville, next to the new Petsmart on Veterans Parkway. I saw the sign last Saturday. Construction has not even begun yet, so it will be while.

Lois

I belong to both, but I prefer Costco. Like some others, I just wish it were closer. Someone tell me more about this GFS. Do they have a website?

Gordon Food Service (GFS):
http://www.gfs.com/gfs_marketplace.html

While I understand all the usual ethical considerations regarding shopping at Wal Mart, I'm wondering if anybody here can direct me to actual resources comparing them to a place like, say, Costco. Anybody?

http://www.thevillagebakeryonline.com/

I've seen a lot of people on here refusing to shop at Sam's because of the tie to Wal-Mart.

I think something needs to be made clear. Wal-Mart has done far more good for the US and World economy than bad. They have driven efficiencies in delivery and distribution that are paying dividends far beyond the world of big box retailers. They have pushed retail and warehousing techniques, concepts and technologies (RFID among many others) into use that are making a positive impact on many industries throughout the world.

You'd be paying a lot more for just about everything you buy if it wasn't for Wal-Mart.

Blaming them for the loss of a few mom and pop stores is like blaming Toyota for the troubles GM and Ford are having.

Having said that, I also refuse to shop at Wal-Mart due to the way current management treats their employees and due to the fact that the stores tend to be dirty, poorly maintained and generally offer a lower quality of merchandise than I am looking for.

So I vote Costco.

[Robin Garr]

Having said that, I also refuse to shop at Wal-Mart due to the way current management treats their employees and due to the fact that the stores tend to be dirty, poorly maintained and generally offer a lower quality of merchandise than I am looking for.

My concerns relate more to their human-resources and virulently anti-union policies than anything else, Chris, although I'm not sure I fully buy the "cost-efficiency" argument. Placing the balance sheet ahead of all other considerations gives us efficiency at the cost of quality; not to beat a dead horse, but this brings us back to the neverending discussions about chain restaurants and Gannett newspapers.

Well, for some things I like Costco, and for some things I like Sams. I'm seeing the need to belong to both. I'm not out in Costco land very often, but we try to stock up when we're there. For my 50 pound bags of sugar, its Sams all the way. About $20 from Sams and $36 from my bakery supplier.

Also, we just booked a vacation thru Sams at a very good price and dropped AAA on our cars and went with the Sams auto club. Saved more than half.

Bring on Trader Joes.....

I made my first visit to Costco yesterday. Wasn't thrilled to go but hubby wanted to run errands and that was one of the stops. I ended up buying two things....1) A $50 iTunes card for $44.99 (5 "free" songs) and a bottle of Caymus Conundrum for $20.99 (a few dollars less than the other stores).

The meat and produce department looked good. The pies are HUGE and seemed to be reasonably priced. Not sure how they taste though. Since we are only two I won't be heading back frequently, but when my family starts visiting in the Summer it might be a great spot to go to feeds the masses!

I'm thrilled to have Costco in Louisville. I am glad to support a business that treats its employees well while still offering me good prices on high-quality items.

I like their cheese section the best. Not a broad selection, but decent. Also their olive oil, Italian dried pasta, Muir Glen canned tomatoes, chicken stock, cleaning supplies, office supplies, Walgreens-type items and gasoline discount (.05 lower per gallon).

Dont let some people hear you say that....A Chain that treats people well...Thas a sin

I don't have a membership to either, but my parents used to belong to Sam's. I've been to Sam's recently using a visitor pass from the newspaper and was disappointed. It seemed like they had a little bit of everything when I was younger, but now it seemed kind of dumpy. I decided to go to Costco at the suggestion of a friend who is a Costco member. I was in search of Glaceau Vitamin water in bulk. My friend was under the impression that I could visit once and pay a percentage for my first purchase, but then I'd have to join to shop again. They did have the water in bulk, but it was the same price as Target (which now has it in bulk). In case anyone is as addicted to it as I am-Kroger and Valu Market both sell the individual bottles 10 for $10. Anyhow, my friend was wrong about the first visit. When I asked an employee about it, he not only told me I was wrong and suggested that I was ridiculous for thinking so, but he then told his mgr. in front of me and they had a good laugh about it. Before I stormed off, I had the last word, but I didn't feel any better. I complained to CS, they apologized, and suggested that I fill out a complaint card because they are wanting to get rid of that mgr. I thanked them for the apology and decided not to fill out the card b/c it wouldn't help me any--I definitely didn't want a Costco membership.

I don't have a membership to either, but my parents used to belong to Sam's. I've been to Sam's recently using a visitor pass from the newspaper and was disappointed. It seemed like they had a little bit of everything when I was younger, but now it seemed kind of dumpy.

Just out of curiousity which one did you go to? Was it the one on Preston or the one off Blankenbaker? We're closest to the one on Preston, but avoid it because of just what you describe: it's rather dumpy. The one off Blankenbaker is nicer, and seems to have a larger selection as well. For example, on Preston they only seem to have 2 kinds of cat litter, and neither is our preferred brand. But they do stock it at Blankenbaker.

I'm really stunned by the employee behaviour at Costco that you describe. We haven't been out there but do intend to check it out. Hopefully they DO get rid of that manager, because Costco usually gets so much better word of mouth than Sam's.

One of my issues with Sam's is lack of consistency. I picked up some Breyer's Natural Vanilla ice cream on a Sunday. Eight days later, was in the store again and thought I would pick up another container. Guess what, no Breyer's in sight. Instead, they offered only a no-name, knock-off, lesser quality item. It's not the end of the world for a family, but I can see where a small restaurant might have a problem offering its customers consistent quality if Sam's can't be bothered to consistently carry standard items like vanilla ice cream.

I found a delicious Vidalia onion dressing at Sam's recently. On my last visit, I picked up FOUR more bottles, just cause I'm sure they will stop carrying it now that I've found something I like. (You've gotta try marinading chicken breasts in just a dab of this dressing and then toss them under the broiler. Awesome! Superb grilled and sliced over a big salad.)

A few weeks ago, a friend alerted us to some really high quality natural dog biscuits at Sam's. We picked up a bag, which were a hit with our hounds. Went to get some more 2 weeks later and they are nowhere in sight. Apparently, they were just another blip on the radar screen.

You expect this sort of thing at Big Lots, and apparently at Sam's as well. Maybe they've gone into closeouts too. Another reason for me to drive all the way to Costco.

Lois